Re: stropping - newspaper vs leather/other materials

Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:12 pm

Worth isn't worth commenting on in my opinion.....it matters only to you in my opinion. I dread spending $50 on something that turns out to be something I don't like. Perhaps your threshold is higher or lower. Hope you understand.

That said, I strop on hard felt to remove burrs and wire edges. I've found it works as well or better than any other method. I also have a leather I strop that I load with a diamond spray that works well at putting a refined/toothy edge on.

Both are DIFFERENT than newspaper....but neither is "better" per say IMHO. It depends on what you're after really.

Re: stropping - newspaper vs leather/other materials

Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:31 pm

Listen to Adam, he knows of what he speaks!Some people, myself included strop on balsa loaded with compound.I usually do felt to remove burr, then balsa, then felt again, then finish up with leather.Some people don't strop at all.Simply there is more than one path to a great edge.

Re: stropping - newspaper vs leather/other materials

Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:44 pm

I just did it the chef way- Come home at 2.30am after a dinner service and clean down, touch up knives on the stones. Looks around for strop but doesnt find one cause he never bought any to begin with, and goes, "F*ck it."...Takes off belt from his pants, locks it into place by anchoring it between the door and the doorway, pulls taut and strops away like a boss.

The stropping medium used, whether some kind of abrasive compound is used, the compound abrasive composition, and the fineness of the compound will all determine which one or more of these will take place and to what extent.

Basic examples:

Newspaper on its own on a flat surface will probably have little abrasive qualities and would probably just accomplish #1 above.

Hard felt w/ or w/o compound is used by many to accomplish #3 and also sometimes #2 as well. Sometimes both at once.

Re: stropping - newspaper vs leather/other materials

Tue Mar 18, 2014 3:51 pm

Steve I think that's quite accurate actually. As someone who has little interest in stropping (I mainly have working edges on most of my knives, no rotation = more frequent sharpening) I believe this is correct. You can accomplish many tasks but the base and compound used will give you a variety of different effects. You can either chase and search for the effect you want, but IMO you'll be searching for a long time.